Seraphine.
Ladies and gentlemen, I may be a dunce most of the time but I most definitely know what that word meant. I have read shitloads of werewolf stories to understand the gravity behind that cursed word, and for this reason, as soon as I heard that, my entire world literally stopped.
I heard the crack in my heart before I felt it, and felt the anger in his eyes even before he had to say another word.
For a moment, I contemplated speaking. I contemplated telling him the truth— that I was not from this world, and that I wasn't the person he was after. But who the fuck would believe me?
Definitely not him.
Hell, I never even read anything of such in that stupid book so why the hell is the plot changing now that I am here? Why is Saphyra's character more twisted now that I have taken over her body?
"Cat got your tongue?" He growled in my face, sending jolts and jolts of strange overwhelming energy rushing through every inch of my body in waves, and when I finally managed to open my mouth, he waved me off.
"Forget it!" He snarled, "…this is a trick! This is a cover you've come up with to find a way out of your punishment. But you are wrong!"
What the fuck is he saying?
"You are not my mate!"
"She is!" Another equally powerful voice bellowed. "You can feel it Luca, things like that are not easily manipulated!"
"And what is that supposed to mean, Azriel?!" Luca, the one whose hands still dug into my flesh growled. "You want us to let her go after murdering our sister in cold blood?!"
"I… I didn't." I cried softly, but because the pain spreading through my jaw was so intense, even my words came out as a whisper.
"Shut up!"
And that I did. I clamped my lips together.
A second passed before my brain snapped into sharp focus, and when I realized that this was Luca, one of the notorious heartless quadruplets in the book, who were betrothed to Saphyra's half sister, Labyrinth, I stilled.
What in the actual hell is happening...?
And if this is Luca, and the other Azriel… then that means the last two men who still hadn't spoken are Zayden and Kaelion…
"We cannot accept her."
For a moment, after those woes rang out, I felt nothing. That was only for a second before an indescribable pain burned through my chest. My eyes brimmed with tears, but because I was too stubborn to cry out, I balled my hands into tight fists, so much so that my nails dug into my palms.
"We would not."
I didn't know when the other two brothers rose or how they got to me, but the time I finally snapped out of my reverie, it was too late. An ethereally looking young man with long blonde hair was already glaring down at me, his eyes holding nothing but… emptiness… as he peered into my soul.
"I am Kaelion," he murmured, "…and I say that because I can see that you do not recognize me. Do you know why I want you to recognize me?" He asked brazenly, and I immediately shook my head, focusing on the zapping golden lights charging between us rather than their faces.
"Use your words, Saphyra," he growled, more like moaned.
Heavens!
"No."
"Because I want you to remember that when I gauge both of your eyes."
"You will do no such thing," the last one seethed, as he came to stand in front of me. If the rest were who they were, then this is… Zayden.
"She will be tried as planned and judged like any other criminal. Until then… we do nothing to her."
"We do not want her. We should cast her out!" Kaelion spat;
"And who said anything about not wanting her?" Zayden fired back.
Their continuous back and forth made my head spin. I stumbled but before I could fall, someone grabbed me from behind, held my back flush against his chest and—
People of earth, that was all I knew before my entire body went haywire. Before my skin felt as though it was being ripped out of my bones and set ablaze.
I jerked forward so fast, the other brothers turned to pin their thinned gazes at me, but before I could form coherent words, the one behind me, Azriel, murmured; "The mate bond… it's intense."
His voice sounded deeper when he said that, gruffer even and that scared me shitless. I saw a knowing look pass between the brothers before they turned away.
"She would face trial, but she would not be killed… not by anyone else anyway."
Relief rushed through me before the gravity of his words settled at the back of my skull… and it wasn't until it dawned on me that he meant they could kill me but not someone else— anyone else that wasn't one of them, I lowered my head and whimpered.
"I really didn't…"
"Elder Thorne, continue!" He snarled, interrupting me before sauntering back to his seat.
The other brothers followed closely behind him, their backs to me until they finally turned to settle into their thrones. And this time, even though the throne area was still as dark as it was earlier, I could now make out their faces very clearly. I could see their eyes and feel their intense gazes boring holes into my skin.
The elder, the man whom I had mocked his suit earlier came forward one more time, he cast me a look— one that was more hostile than before— and seethed;
"Let us proceed with the court hearing of Missus, Saphyra Evander by inviting our first eye witness, Missus Labyrinth Evander to the podium!"
As soon as I heard that, my heart stopped. My brain and bones froze and I couldn't even gulp because there was no more saliva left to swallow.
My breath hitched as I watched her make her way to the podium while some the last words she'd said to me the last time I saw her echoed in my mind;
"I could help lessen your sentence if you confess to the court tonight that you indeed murdered Eloise. Hell, I know it has always been your dream to leave this kingdom behind, so I could make the Alphas send you to exile…"
And now, looking at her, I didn't know whether to trust her or not. Heck, why would I even admit to a crime I am sure as hell I didn't commit?
My eyes met hers in that moment and I could swear that I saw something twisted and dark flash across her gaze before it quickly disappeared like it was never there. She lowered her eyes pitifully, sobbed dramatically into a handkerchief and pointed a shaky finger at me.
They've not even asked her anything yet, geez!
"I was there!" She sobbed, "I wanted to pluck some flowers for the Alphas, my betrothed, when I saw my sister— my sister who I love so much— strike Lady Eloise from behind! She killed her in cold blood… mercilessly."
My ears rang.